As the lazy days of summer wind down and we get back into our hectic work and school schedules, maintaining a healthy diet is often a challenge. As a holistic nutritionist, the number one question I get from clients is how to make healthy meals that are quick, easy, and above all else, delicious.
Commercial advertising has taught us that in order to be convenient and tasty, food needs to be served from a drive-through window, or ready in seconds in a compact microwavable package. As a result, we have come to see the art of meal preparation and the use of fresh ingredients as effortful, expensive, and time consuming.
When faced with the seduction of food advertising, it is easy to give in to the notion that spending time or money on food preparation will leave little resources for other ‘real life’ activities. It is my passion to bring joy and love back into the kitchen, exploring fresh flavourful ingredients while creating optimal health.
Prep for Success
Here are a few simple tips that will help make healthy eating an enticing adventure as well as a convenient part of your routine. Preparation is the key to daily success and sticking to your healthy eating goals! Even if you have already embraced a fresh, whole foods diet, you will find these simple ideas and recipes extremely helpful to streamline your routine.
1. Stock your pantry:
– Make sure to have healthy ingredients in your pantry at all times so that meal preparation is a smooth process.
– Organic, BPA-free canned beans or legumes, organic vegetable stock either in powdered or Tetra Pak containers, wholegrain crackers and pasta, and natural nut butters are great convenience items to have on hand.
– I also suggest stocking your pantry with dried herbs and spices, dried legumes, whole grains and wholegrain flours, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp hearts, goji berries and other dried fruit, raw nuts and seeds (keep these refrigerated if buying in larger quantities), fair trade cacao nibs and cacao powder, natural sweeteners such as coconut sugar, maple syrup, or raw honey, coconut oil and other cold-pressed oils, and natural Himalayan or sea salt.
– Toss any pantry items that contain artificial ingredients, refined sugars, and preservatives – out of sight, out of mind; if it is not there, you will not use it!
